Sean Stanley's film about icon London, Ontario rock club Call The Office relies on musician interviews and grainy concert footage.
Call The Office documentary premieres at WIFF
Call The Office is one of Canada’s most iconic music venues. The venue created a vibrant social hub in London, Ontario and thrived for generations. It brought such notable bands as Radiohead, The Tragically Hip, Bif Naked, D.O.A, Link Wray, and Bad Brains to London. It also helped launch the careers of musicians such as Danko Jones, Sum 41, Kittie, and Death From Above 1979.
From the voices of the bookers, staff, patrons, and bands, this documentary examines what made the place so special. Director/Producer Sean Stanley frequented Call The Office for decades, and through a plethora of interviews with musical legends—including Joey Keithley, John Wright, Mike Watt, Lou Barlow, Danko Jones, Ian Blurton, members of The Supersuckers, Nashville Pussy— and a trove of archival footage, shows why it meant so much to so many people, and why it lasted for decades.
Sean Stanley's Call The Office documentary screens as part the Windsor International Film Festival at the Armouries Performance Hall (37 University Ave. East, Windsor) on Saturday, October 31 at 8:10 pm. Get tickets here. Watch the trailer below.
Sadly, the Italian sound library ace Paolo Casa – behind "Clouds" and "Nature" – has passed away. He'll be greatly missed.
From SONOR Music Editions...
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of composer Paolo Casa, a cherished friend and an integral part of the Sonor family.
As his publishers and producers, we had the honor of working alongside Paolo across a ten-year journey, scoring dozens of documentaries for RAI. Beyond his distinct elegance and his extraordinary contribution to library music, Paolo was defined by a rare humanity and warmth.
Losing Paolo means losing a vital pillar of our story, yet his sound and legacy will remain an enduring part of our catalog and memories.
Check out DJ Kitschy Mama's swingin' selection of rare calypso and early Jamiacan ska gems on WFMU's Drop-In show.
Here's the scoop...
Hey Folks! I'm doin a Drop-In on WFMU Rock 'n' Soul Radio! A whole hour of obscure reggae, ska and calypso. Lost tunes by Lord Brynner, The Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Count Lasher, Reynolds Calypso Clippers, Bonnie and Skitter with Count Ossie, Jackie Estick, Theo Beckford, Shanley Duffas, Granville Williams' Orchestra, Lascelles Perkins, Roy Fuller & Tiny Brown, and more ole' scratchies! Listen in right here: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/152958.
Along with being a fine actor, Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman is also a fan of dancefloor jazz, funk, soul and yé-yé swingers.
Here's the scoop...
After a five-year break, Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller return with their latest compilation: ‘On The Corner’ (out October 23 via Acid Jazz Records). While their two previous collections have shone a spotlight quite specifically on jazz and soul, the latest iteration takes a more panoramic approach, taking in those loves, but adding in some British mod stomp, neo-library music and some French yé-yé, as Martin says in his notes.
Martin is of course the multi-award-winning actor famed for The Office, The Hobbit, Sherlock and The Responder, but also for his deep love of music, which brought him to us with these compilations. On this volume he has chosen well, with obscure cuts from Santana and neo-soul from Kadhja Bonet, and Indo-funk from Ashal Puthli. These sit alongside jazz from Gary Burton and Buddy Rich as well as favourite soul 45s, all topped with the wonderful stew of Traffic’s ‘Medicated Goo’.
Eddie founded Acid Jazz Records in 1988 and even before then was a well-known and successful DJ. His sides show the excitement that he still finds in discovering and playing music. Opening with the synth-led Main Theme from UK cult film The Long Good Friday, he selects beautiful soul and jazzy disco, before entering the world of Brit-Funk with cuts by Hi-Tension and Light Of The World. He brings it home via Ace’s ‘How Long’ and some Brian Auger, which sets us up for the Ye-Ye beat of Jacquelin Taieb and Jacques Dutronc.
Showing our modernist roots, the album comes sharply dressed in its Dean Chalkley-photographed Unknown partnership sleeve on Double LP or CD, with notes by both Ed and Martin. The perfect end-of-year present to yourself or the one you love.
Martin Freeman & Eddie Pillar - On The Corner
1. Big Time Operator – Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band
2. Needle In A Haystack – The Whispers
3. Light Of Life – Santana
4. Vibrafinger – Gary Burton
5. Space Shuttle – Buddy Rich
6. Please Open The Door – Little Charles & The Sidewinders
7. Higher Ground – Doug Carn
8. Procession – Kadhja Bonet
9. Funky Mule – Ike Turner
10. Right Down Here – Asha Puthli
11. Top Brass – Matt Berry*
12. Medicated Goo – Traffic
13. Main Title Theme From Long Good Friday – Francis Monkman
14. I Can’t Keep From Crying Baby Sometimes – The Deidre Wilson Tabac
15. Too Late – Mandrill
16. Wounded Woman – Sandra Wright
17. I’ve Got To Come In – Jean Battle
18. Don’t You Worry Baby, The Best Is Yet To Come – Bessie Banks
19. Don’t Walk Away – General Johnson*
20. Hi Tension – Hi Tension
21. Time – The Light Of The World
22. How Long – Ace
23. Rope Ladder To Th e Moon – Julie Tippets and Brian Auger
Raising a glass to iconic jazz saxophonist/composer John Coltrane his 100th with a 1963 appearance on Jazz Casual, an interview with Ravi Coltrane and more.
Toxic Shock mainman Bill Sassenberger talks about his books Assassin of Mediocrity and Wanderlust at Emissions on Tuesday.
Punk rock record store owner and label boss Bill Sassenberger discusses his books “Toxic Shock Records, Assassin of Mediocrity: A Story of Love, Loss and Loud Music” and "Wanderlust and Welcome Mats: The Broccoli Chronicles" at Emissions Records (1114 Dundas St. West, basement) on Tuesday, September 22 from 5 pm to 7 pm. And yes, there will be Toxic Shock merch available.
Back in 1980, punk rock musician Bill Sassenberger opened the Toxic Shock record store in Pomona, California specializing in tough-to-find punk records on indie labels. Three years later, Sassenberger and his wife Julianna Towns (of Skinner Box) turned Toxic Shock into a record label with the 1983 release of the Noise From Nowhere EP – a 7-inch compilation of local bands, Kent State, Manson Youth, Modern Industry and his own band Moslem Birth (later renamed Peace Corpse) with sleeve art by Pushead.
The label went on to release records by Corrosion of Conformity, Skin Yard, Dayglo Abortions, Raw Power and Zero Boys before moving operations to Tucson, Arizona in 1988 and putting out more vinyl from the likes of Sloppy Seconds, The Hickoids, House Of Large Sizes, Th' Inbred and Treepeople. In 1990, the label name was changed to Westworld, the store became Toxic Ranch Records and continued operations until December 31, 2013. Julianna Towns, who had suffered a severe stroke in 2011, passed away in 2019 at the age of 58.
All of this and much more is covered in Bill's memoir "Toxic Shock Records – Assassin of Mediocrity: A Story of Love, Loss and Loud Music" which he'll be discussing along with the sequel "Wanderlust and Welcome Mats: The Broccoli Chronicles" at Emissions Records on Tuesday. You can check out a couple of Bill's prior interviews with Alan Brostoff for Goldmine Magazine (from 2924) and Johnny Fever for Equalizing Distort, see links below.
Steve Koch & Colleen Hodgson (left) will be joined by Grier Coppins & Mad Larry Graves at Handlebar on Saturday (Sept. 26) from 3-6 pm.
Here's the scoop from Grier Coppins...
"Trickbag at Handlebar in Kensington this Saturday cancelled for the Kensington Jazz Festival. I’ll be back w/ a new bag of tricks next Saturday Sept 26. ‘He Mistook her for a Swan’, Steve Koch & Colleen Hodgson back me up for the 1st set & I will back the Swans for the 2nd set. Mad Larry Graves on the drums. British Folk Revival inspired tales of murder, betrayal, infidelity, magic… with the odd rocker, jig & a reel tossed in for the dancers. Should be a great afternoon’s listen. Come on out!"
Analog Africa's follow-up double album of the Somalian swingers recorded by Dur-Dur Band in the late 80s is out now – check it out!
Here's the scoop from Analog Africa HQ...
Groovers and Movers... DUR-DUR BAND IS BACK !!!
Following the release of Dur-Dur Volumes 1 & 2 in 2018, some eight years later we are finally bringing you Volumes 3 & 4 recorded by this incredibly funky band in Mogadishu back in 1988 & 1989.
Restored and remastered by five-time Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Michael Graves — these songs have never sounded so good!
You can order your copy directly from our Bandcamp page right here— the most direct way to support us and the work we do. Worldwide shipping from Germany!
Listen to two tracks from the Dur-Dur Band's new 2LP set following a live clip of Dur-Dur Band in action at Mogadishu's Jubba Hotel back in 1988.
Edgar Breau & Bob Bryden get together for solo and duo performances at The Gate in Hamilton on Sunday afternoon at 3 pm.
Writes Edgar...
"Looking forward to my show with Bob Bryden this coming Sunday at The Gate (201 James St. N) here in Hamilton at 3 pm. Each of us will play a solo set before getting together as a duo for the first time. Bob Bryden is known internationally as a Canadian cult legend via the highly sought after Christmas and Reign Ghost LP’s and continues to make great solo recordings. I have a brand new release "I Committed Sacrilege (in the Sacred House of Punk)" a vinyl 45 (see below) by The Third Kind an experimental recording project with David Byers of the Shangs and Simply Saucer bassist Kevin Christoff with album to follow. Greg Vickers designed the groovy poster!"
Tickets are $19.96 advance. Get 'em via Eventbrite right here.
